1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a method for updating program parameters with using a data network connection.
2. Description of the Related Art
Programs in data processing systems often use what are referred to as configuration datafiles for parameterization in which parameters that are used during the execution of the program are stored.
Examples of such configuration datafiles are the datafiles having, for example, the name xe2x80x9c.*. rcxe2x80x9d which are in the home directory of a user of a UNIX operating system, the datafiles which end with the extension xe2x80x9c.ini.xe2x80x9d, in particular the datafile xe2x80x9cwin.inixe2x80x9d in the graphic interface program xe2x80x9cWindows 3.xxe2x80x9d of Microsoft in which the xe2x80x9cwin.inixe2x80x9d file has been established as its own component, or the xe2x80x9cregistryxe2x80x9d for the administration of such configuration information in the operating system xe2x80x9cWindows 95xe2x80x9d also by Microsoft, this also being considered below as a xe2x80x9cdatafilexe2x80x9d even though with a hierarchic access procedure. In both of these latter instances, an interface is present as a part of the xe2x80x9cWindowsxe2x80x9d program in order to read or write entries in the xe2x80x9cinixe2x80x9d-datafiles or, respectively, in the registry file.
To set or change the parameters contained in such parameter files, use is made of menus and forms contained in the program itself to be configured, of separate configuration programs or, insofar as possible, of normal text editors which serve for the modification of the configuration entries. In all of these cases, however, an operator must use an output devicexe2x80x94usually a picture screen, or monitor,xe2x80x94and an input devicexe2x80x94usually a keyboard or a mousexe2x80x94, both of which are directly and locally connected to the computer, and the operator must modify the entries in the configuration files.
Personal computers with a touch-sensitive picture screen running application software for public access are often provided as information kiosks built into a specific outer structure or housing. An example of such public access computers are available, for example, under the name xe2x80x9cELEKTRAxe2x80x9d from Siemens Nixdorf Informationssysteme AG. These devices can be configured such that, after being turned on, only one application, the public access application, is activated. Such computers, however, do not allow any modification of the configuration data by a user since, of course, the computer is publicly accessible. If an update to the configuration data of the public accessible computer is necessary, the input of the update information can only be allowed after overcoming specific access restricting measures, such as by unlocking locks on the cabinet or housing and therefore such updates usually require the physical presence of an operator. This, however, results in a considerable expense especially if there are a great number of publicly accessible terminals to be updated.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method by which an application program can, for example, be reconfigured or updates in an information terminal without requiring a person who is authorized to perform maintenance on the information terminal having to be physically present.
The present invention is based on the perception that information terminals are often connected to server computers by a network because the application programs receive the information to be displayed on the information terminal by network access. According to the present invention, the application program determines by network access whether the configuration information of the information terminal is current and transmits and stores the updated information in the information terminal as warranted. Particular advantages of the invention derive given use of the HTTP protocols, as shall be explained in greater detail in the following.
In the present method, the updating of program parameters stored in a local configuration datafile in the information terminal provides that the parameters contained in such parameter files are changed, whereby a server is asked whether a new parameter datafile exists and if so the new datafile is transmitted from the server to the information terminal and is transferred into the local configuration datafile of the information terminal.